GREEN UNCLE AND ROSE BUD
Mohan and Guru kept working hard, but their investigation was not at all going good. First of all, there were no students to observe since it was vacation, and second, the jobs they had undertaken kept them occupied most of the time. The only relapse was at night. Then, they would put their heads together and discuss who might be the clasp in the chain connecting the drug racket and students. Whoever it might be, they were doing an excellent job in hiding themselves. And right now, Mohan and Guru had nothing much to do, except keeping a lookout for any suspicious activity around them. The lack of excitement was taking its toll on their enthusiasm.
As days passed by, Mohan and Guru gained the basic ideas of their respective works and began performing better. The kitchen staff soon accepted Guru as one among them and the chief gardener became less harsh with Mohan and began giving him less boring tasks more often.
And that is how, Mohan found himself in a group assigned to plant new saplings in the staff quarters garden. As he was about to begin his job, Mahi, Nanhi and an elderly man in his fifties came out from quarters no: 7. On seeing the workers around, the man went to talk to one of them.
Mahi and Nanhi soon noticed Mohan and a smile of recognition lit up their face. Mahi said something to the man; he replied with a nod in Mohan's direction and walked off in the direction of the complex.
Mohan, caught staring, quickly ducked his head, took out his spade and began digging. As he was about to place the first sapling in the pit, someone patted his shoulder lightly. Nanhi was standing behind him with Mahi. Mahi offered a smile and a hello.
"I want to place the plant." Nanhi demanded in a muffled and strained squeak.
"What happened to your sound?" Mohan enquired curiously.
"She's having cold and runny nose, but still won't sit at home." Mahi explained.
"I want to place the plant." Nanhi repeated, more demanding this time.
Nanhi's sweet demand brought a smile on Mohan's face.
"But this is a rose plant and it has thorns...you may prick your little hands." Mohan replied.
Suddenly, Nanhi's excited face changed into a sad one and Mohan felt bad. He looked at her with tenderness and offered:
"But you can hold onto my hands and guide them to the pit. You know, I was just waiting for someone who could tell me whether I'm planting it properly, and see, you came for my help!"
Nanhi's face lit up at his reply.
"Chachu, pass on the plant. I'm helping him to plant it." Nanhi ordered.
Mahi placed it in Mohan's hands and they exchanged amused glances. As Mohan lowered it to the pit, Nanhi placed her tiny hands over his big ones and began ordering:
"Silghtly left, no right...more right...yes, okay!"
After putting the earth back covering the roots, Mohan got up and took the watering can.
"Will you please help me in watering also?"
Again, Nanhi's face lit up. She authoritatively placed her tiny hands on top of Mohan's and guided him.
"We want to thank you for what you did that day... and thank you for not telling my Didi." Mahi told Mohan.
"It's my pleasure, Mahi...and even though it's not good to hide things from your elders, since nothing happened that day, I didn't see any reason to put you in front of your Didi's wrath." Mohan replied, chuckling slightly.
They finished watering.
"Soon, it'll have a tiny cute rosebud just like you." Mohan told Nanhi.
"Yay! Thank you garnredrnerer uncle"
Mahi snickered, hearing Nanhi stumble over the word 'gardener'. As he saw Nanhi's expression changing, Mohan suddenly said:
"My name is Mohan, you can call me that."
"But that is your school name. I want another name - like how Mahi is Chacha, Navika is Nanhi...like that."
Mohan thought of his mother's "Monu" and imagined how Nanhi will scream "Monuuuu" loud on seeing him the next time and cringed.
"Well, I don't have such a name...it's Mohan only."
Nanhi placed her forefinger on her chin and surveyed him from top to bottom, deep in thought.
"You are always in green uniform...so, I'll call you Green Uncle."
Green Uncle? Well, better than Monu. Mohan thought.
"Fine, my bud. I'm Mr. Green Uncle from now on." Mohan stuck a pose with a plant in one hand and spade in another. Nanhi giggled.
"Hmm, you seem to have earned her liking. Just wait and watch what all this Nanhi is going to make you do." Mahi warned light-heartedly.
Just then, a white dupatta flew down to them. Mohan caught it before it got entangled in the bushes nearby.
"Hey, this seems to be Megha Didi's dupatta." Mahi said.
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THE CLOUD'S CHARM
FanfictionMegha, as her name suggests, is a dynamic girl - one who floats in life's flow just like clouds. And Mohan, despite his name, is not much of a charmer in his social circle: he was yet to find someone special and currently, he was concentrating on...
